Ego
by TheWinterMe
Summary: TMNT 2k12 'verse. Taken place after Riddle of the Ancient Aeons. Following their little dispute back on planet Xaava-Dal, Casey and Donatello need to talk, to make sure their maturing friendship is still intact.


The scrawny teenager shivered when leaving the vacant control room, slowly hobbling away from the stiff couch he rested on, nonchalantly stretching lanky arms above his head while hoarsely yawning. Casey winced when feeling the ache on his sore arm, hastily rubbing the muscle roughly with a cold palm. A scowl soon masked his face when remembering it was Donatello who left the visible bruise. Pressing thin lips together, he marched forward, hands forming into tight coiled fists. But, he quickly stilled and relaxed when reaching the thick steel door, listening to the metal clanking through the walls. Sinking his shoulders, dark brown eyes skimming over the door, he sighed after his hand swatted over the device on the wall, generating the door to slide open.

Entering their shared bedroom, Casey clumsily tripped over, alerting the purple-clad terrapin his presence. Various crumbled up papers, water bottles, and soda cans spilled from the wired wastebasket, causing the terrapin to cringe.

"You should tidy that mess up before Raph gets in. You know how much of a neat freak he is."

Going back to his task, Donatello ignored Casey's groan, concentrating on repairing the defective device.

"Let him get mad. I don't care."

Slipping off his fingerless gloves, and dropping them fall to the floor, he languidly walked over to the diligent turtle. Peeking over Donatello's shoulder, the teen fixated his attention at nimble fingers trying to carefully twist the end of the adapter's red and yellow wires together.

"Fixing that broken scanner of yours, D?" He smirked when catching Donatello grumble in annoyance.

"Quit distracting me, Jones. I need to concentrate." The tip of his tongue coiled over his upper lip, returning to his work, but stiffened when hearing him speak again.

"Because, you know, it was _your_ scanner that got us lost back there in the first place." Slamming massive fists onto the flimsy wooden table, he rose to glare at the obnoxious and already smirking vigilante, whose long arms folded over lean chest. The provoking sneer repulsed the tinkerer, desiring to shove a fist right through his dumb face.

"Listen, Casey," he hissed. "Just go to your side of the room, and – Let. Me. Be!" Donatello exhaled a loud sigh, trying to calm down, easing his shoulders and lowering his hands. "Maybe we should try to mollify this situation before it gets out of hand. Again." Casey only scrunched his brows together.

"Mollify?" The purple-clad turtle could only frustratingly roll his cherry brown eyes.

"To subside. To make less severe. To make peace. Come on, Jones, read a book once in a while!" Ignoring his piercing outburst, Casey grabbed the bo staff from alongside the wall, closely inspecting it.

"I can't believe this flimsy stick helps you beat up bad guys." He chuckled once swinging it. "It could fall apart any minute!" The annoyed shifted his stare toward the distracted.

"I had it calibrated to be sturdy enough to do its job. And it's way more functional than your worn out hockey stick, that's for sure," clarified Donatello.

Disregarding him, the engrossed teenager swung the staff in front of him, but winced when it flew from his slim fingers and across the bedroom.

"Casey!"

"Heh. My bad."

Curiously, he watched as Donatello grouchily stashed his tools and scanner into a cardboard box, setting it aside on the table.

"Dude, chill. No need to get mad. I was just messin' around."

"You're _always_ messing around, Casey. Like, today, mindlessly roaming in the archaic ruins, and you just _had_ to push a button?! You could've really hurt somebody, or worse! Or – or do you just _not_ care?!"

The hockey player looked away, slumping against the wall, solemnly chuckling, angrily staring ahead.

"You think I don't care? Why? Just 'cause I didn't bawl my eyes out when the entire world got sucked into a black hole?" The terrapin only blinked in bewilderment, sitting back onto his chair, almost worried to hear such grave tone from him. It felt too serious, and out of character. "Yeah. It hurt me. Losing my dad, and sis. It definitely did." He sighed, tilting his head back, legs holding him up from sliding to the floor. "I just try to not think about it as much." The teenager tried to refrain himself from blinking, afraid of letting his tears show. "Besides," he glimpsed at the quiet turtle, "they're okay. Right? We got another shot of fixing it." Donatello noticed the way he smiled, veiling his true emotions, not wanting to bother anyone about his problems, and always wanting to be identified as the care-free guy he was known for.

"Yeah," Donatello reached out to pat his shoulder apologetically. "We have another chance." Returning the smile, Donatello pulled away, not really knowing what else to say. Soon, an awkward silence snuck between them, large fingers fumbling with the loose knuckle wrappings as slim digits drummed alongside the wall.

"Sorry for hitting your arm," the embarrassed ninja finally muttered.

"Sorry for socking your shoulder," Casey murmured underneath his breath, while rubbing his arm. "And for choking you."

"Sorry for tossing you around."

"Sorry for punching you in the face." Donatello frowned, lifting his head to face him.

"You didn't punch me in the face." Casey slyly smiled.

"Oh. I must've fantasized about it then." They snickered before bursting into discreet laughter, not wanting to wake anybody up.

After wiping tears from their wet eyes, and subduing their breathing, Casey's hand reached out for Donatello's.

"We cool?" He stared at his hand, nodding in agreement after careful consideration.

"Yeah, we're cool." Once more sealing their damaged friendship, they felt better knowing that they left all that tension behind, ready to move on.

Both teens froze when hearing the door swoosh upwards, watching a lethargic Raphael shuffle through, carrying his belt and gear in one hand before setting them down on the floor. Once his knees reached the futon, he dropped and slammed onto the mattress face down, letting his sore and aching body sink, loudly groaning through the pillow.

"What's with you?" His head shifted toward his brother's voice, eyelids struggling to keep open.

"Our kunoichi in training has really been pushing herself lately." He moaned as he tried to turn over, but failed, only to yawn. "But I'm sure those extra hard training sessions will pay off sooner or later…" Raphael muffled behind his shoulder, before closing his eyes.

Donatello and Casey only glanced at one another, after Raphael drifted to sleep.

"Huh. Why do ya think they've been training together so much?" The tinkerer hummed in thought, also wondering why the frequent extra sparring between his brother and redheaded psychic.

"Must be because she needs to learn how to appropriately fight in combat without using weapons. And honestly, he's the best fighter within the group." Agreeing with his answer, Casey made a grab for the cardboard box that still rested on the desk.

"You should go back to working on that scanner of yours," sliding the box across the tabletop, and in front of Donatello, he snickered. "So you don't get us lost again." The terrapin smirked, nonchalantly taking out the scanner and various tools.

"Don't worry, Jones. My tactical skills won't make that mistake, again. Besides," Donatello cunningly whispered, "my gap's way more awesome than yours."

"No way. Mine's so much cooler. Better than your baby gap," Casey pointed out.

Scoffing, the turtle shook his head while chuckling.

"In your dreams, Jones," Donatello smiled to himself. "In your dreams."


End file.
